Happy 19th Birthday, Ivey



Happy 19th Birthday, Ivey!

When you see Ivey Knight today wish her a happy birthday.

In addition to being the Horse Pucky Queen, I'm also known as "Grammy" to three very beautiful grandchildren, of whom I am very proud. Today is a special day for the oldest grandchild, Ivey. It's her 19th birthday.

Like all grandparents, I can't believe where the time went. Are you really 19, Ivey? You have worked very hard to achieve success in school and in your work environment. It's with the utmost confidence in you that I say, it's time to spread your wings and fly and become the very best you can be. Your family has great faith in you.

Your birthday bash was wonderful last night with great food, enjoyable company, and a chance to connect with all that is profoundly important...family and good friends.

I wish you a day full of joy and beauty as you celebrate the gift of life. Have a super 19th birthday, my dear Ivey. I love you. ~Grammy aka The Horse Pucky Queen 

Horse Pucky Advice: To Ask or Not To Ask

Dear Horse Pucky,

My wife and I were going on a weekend trip around the NY State Finger Lakes region and realized the GPS was lost. We decided to wing-it as far as finding our way to various tourist spots and even some out ot the way places that were suggested to us by friends. Big mistake.

We started out fine, but ended up getting into one argument after another. I swear, the Mrs. has no sense of direction at all. She was my navigator and couldn't tell the difference between north, south, east, or west. So we got lost, I mean really lost. I wanted to stop and ask for directions at the local gas station and she said, "No, this is a real adventure."  

It was an adventure all right. It was a challenging experience to see how long our bladders would hold out and our stomaches could go empty. What would you have done? Asked for directions or not?

~Full Bladder with Empty Stomach

Dear FB,

Why didn't you stop at a gas station, use the rest room, then get a map ? Why did you make "The Mrs." your navigator if she has no sense of direction?

Just to let you know, I get really cranky if I don't eat, so I can identify with you.  On the other hand, I also like a sense of adventure, so I empathize with your wife. In either case, next time do a little planning, stop the arguing, and enjoy the day. Bloom where you are planted.

~Horse Pucky

Ahhh - Tranquility



Irondequoit Bay outlet feeds into Lake Ontario.  Irondequoit is the Seneca Indian word that means where the waters meet.

There's a secret cove where I go when I need some r & r. It's a beautiful place full of peace and tranquility except for an occassional boat or a single jet ski slowly making its way through the outlet out to the lake, but that's about it. Most of the time I'm joined by a family of ducks, a pair of swans, or a committee of seagulls.

Today the ducks joined me, but only for a short while. Mama duck was totally focused on teaching her offspring how to maneuver the series of  billows made by the offshore breeze. I watched, with amusement, the little feathered puff balls bobbing up and down in the water, like small children on a roller coaster ride for the first time.

It felt so good to take a break from all the running around I do, and the sadness of Bear being gone, and just allowing myself time alone with the beauty of nature and all it has to offer. Believe it or not, I haven't even felt like going out to the barn; I didn't feel like dealing with anything or anyone this week. Horse pucky just wasn't in the cards, both metaphorically speaking and literally.

Time to myself made me realize how much I appreciate living in such a beautiful area. Today I really savored it. Thank you, God.

Horse Pucky Advice: Black or Not

Dear Horse Pucky,

I'm going to a wedding next weekend and I have a cute little black dress I want to wear. All my friends are telling me that black is inappropriate to wear at a wedding especially in the summer time. I really don't feel like spending the money on a new dress, and I look great in black. What do you think?

~Sweet Sue from Kalamazoo

Dear Sue,

Wear the black dress and tell your friends to buzz off. Black is perfectly appropriate for weddings and funerals. You're covered no matter where you go; from the beginning to the end. I laud your practicality and good sense.

~Horse Pucky

I Won!

one angle of garden

Newport Highlands, the 200 unit  townhouse community I live in, had a garden contest this year. I won the contest. It's kind of a hollow victory in lieu of my recent loss, but it's a bright spot in my heart where the flowers bloom and the sun shines in memory of Bear.

My feline pal was always right beside me chasing leaves, digging in the dirt, "helping" me plant flowers, and sniffing the horse pucky. He was the best.

Back to the contest. I won for two main reasons; #1: I had about 200 pounds of horse pucky mulched into the soil and I watered twice a day. The plants loved it. #2: It's not that my garden is so great, it's that everyone else's either dried out due to lack of rain in these parts and they gave up, or they didn't have Bear helping them, or both.

Anyway, I won a $100 gift certificate to Wegmans. When I found out I had won, I was going to run out and get Bear more treats. Instead, I plan on fixing a buffet lunch for our wonderfully supportive maintenance and office staff on Monday in memory of Bear. Life is good.